Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Between 1820 and 1930, nearly 4.5 million Irish immigrants arrived in the United States. Americans today exchange about 8 million St. Patrick’s Day cards annually and spending on this celebrated day reaches up to 4.4 BILLION! Nearly 39% of the population (122 million Americans) spend money on food and parties.

What began as a religious feast day in the 17th century has evolved into a variety of festivals across the globe celebrating Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and a whole lot of green. Here are a list of some local festivities:

Did you know – the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick was blue, not green.

The shamrock, which was also called the “seamroy” by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.